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Field of the Invention
This invention relates to animal leashes, specifically to a retractable leash for walking two animals.
Numerous types of retractable leashes are known in the art. Some of these include:
1. a flashlight is integrated with the leash,
(U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,029 (1998) to DuBois et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,550 (1999) to Levine et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,836 (1999) to Chavez, U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,472 (1999) to Matt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,054 (2000) to Matt et al.)
2. a waste bag is integrated with the leash,
(U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,456 (1999) to Tancrede)
3. the retractable portion of the leash is mounted on the animal""s collar, and
(U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,175 (1965) to Dean, U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,198 (1973) to Gehrke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,189 (1977) to Umphries et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,713 (1979) to Umphries et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,817 (1980) to Crutchfield, U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,766 (1982) to Deibert, U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,937 (1988) to Musetti, U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,551 (1989) to Musetti, U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,773 (2000) to Bogdahn, U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,683 (2002) to Walter et al.)
4. various types of braking mechanisms and inner workings are provided.
(U.S. Pat. No. 2,217,323 (1940) to Sackett, U.S. Pat. No. 2,222,409 (1940) to Gottlieb, U.S. Pat. No. 2,250,171 (1941) to Wilkins, U.S. Pat. No. 2,314,504 (1943) to Lifchultz, U.S. Pat. No. 2,647,703 (1953) to Hayes, U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,644 (1957) to Fontaine, U.S. Pat. No. 2,919,676 (1960) to Schneider, U.S. Pat. No. 3,233,591 (1966) to Rogers et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,315,642 (1967) to Rogers et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,288 (1967) to Mullritter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,596 (1972) to Croce et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,283 (1974) to Croce et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,418 (1976) to Critelli, U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,510 (1980) to Stanish, U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,150 (1981) to McCarthy, U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,230 (1985) to Talo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,626 (1995) to Kilsby et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,494 (1995) to Kondo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,926 (1996) to Bogdahn)
Although the aforementioned patents meet their particular objectives, they are all limited in that they only accommodate single animals. Many other known leashes are designed for two or more animals, but are not retractable. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,972 (1989) to Crowe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,063 (1990) to Garrigan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,234 (1997) to Parker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,921 (1998) to Bell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,988 (1998) to Gish, U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,668 (1999) to Goodger, Sr., U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,539 (2001) to Sporn, U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,428 (2001) to Mireles, U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,029 (2001) to Gish)
U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,270 (2002) to Imes, shows a retractable leash for multiple animals. Imes""s leash consists of one standard retractable leash, with one or more pulleys attached to one or more nylon straps that run along the main retractable leash cord. One dog is attached to the main retractable leash cord and other dog(s) are attached to the nylon strap(s) that run along the main leash cord. Although Imes states that one or more animals of different size and strength may use the leash without causing pull on the other dogs, she admits that pull can still occur if the leash is fully retracted or locked by the operator. In these instances, the dogs that are attached to the pulleys may also be restricted in their lateral movement.
Accordingly several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
a.) to provide an improved leash,
b.) to provide a new retractable leash which can be used to walk two animals, and
c.) to provide a new retractable leash which allows the animals to have freedom of movement in all directions and does not allow for pull between dogs even if locked or fully retracted.
Other objects and advantages are:
d.) to provide a new retractable leash which encounters minimal entanglement and allows the operator to easily manage the leash cords,
e.) to provide a dual-animal leash which gives each animal its own spooling mechanism such that each animal may have control over the cord length to the extent that the operator allows,
f.) to provide a dual-animal leash which allows the operator to brake one or both of the spooling mechanisms to prevent further extension or retraction of the leash cords, and
g.) to provide a leash for two animals, which, in the event that the leash cords become crossed, the operator may easily uncross the leash cords by simply rotating the handgrip, and the leash will still be in immediate position for braking.
Additional objects and advantages will become evident from a consideration of the subsequent description and drawings.
The present invention provides a leash for two animals or pets, such as dogs, whereby the owner or operator can walk the dogs simultaneously. Each dog has its own retractable lead and to the degree that the operator allows, is in control of its own cord length. The operator does not have to fumble with multiple handgrips since this leash houses both retractable leads within one handgrip. Each lead has its own spooling mechanism and can be controlled individually by the operator.